Chargers sign TE Austin Roberts

Chargers sign TE Austin Roberts

Chargers sign TE Austin Roberts

The Charges have signed tight end Austin Roberts and waived longsnapper Anthony Kukwa, the team announced Wednesday.

Roberts is an undrafted free agent who played his collegiate football at UCLA while Kukwa hailed from little known Lake Erie College. At 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, Roberts is small for a tight end and was listed as a wide receiver/TE often times during his time with the Bruins.

But Los Angeles unquestionably has a dire need at TE after the team decided to part ways with future Pro Football Hall of Fame player Antonio Gates ahead of his age 38 season. Though that move seemed nearly inevitable, it served as a gut punch once the Bolts’ young star TE Hunter Henry saw his season ended before it began due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear this month.

Although it isn’t likely that general manager Tom Telesco would consult him on such things, Chargers QB Philip Rivers did say that he was open to the possibility of Gates returning to the roster this week. With NFL rosters still bulging at around 90 players, Roberts may not be much more than a camp body in the end. But it was a wise move by Telesco & Co. to add a TE during this stage of organized team activities (OTAs).